A
Global View of Sunburn Hotspots
 |
|  |
| UV
over the United States in Aug. 2000 | | |
Since
1995, various agencies have recognized the importance of tracking and reporting
UV levels to the public as a matter of safety. referring to ultraviolet radiation
from the Sun, UV levels consist of three kinds: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. Of these,
UV-B is the most dangerous kind to people, increasing the risk of sunburns, cancers,
and cataracts. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aboard the Earth Probe
spacecraft, tracks ozone depletion as well as determining ultraviolet radiation
penetrating the ozone layer to reach the ground. ONE
YEAR OF UV UPS AND DOWNS
Annual UV levels throughout the world for August 2000 - July 2001. Things
to watch for include very high levels of UV exposure during the Southern Hemisphere
summer in Australia and southern Africa due to more open and cloud-free areas.
Less atmosphere over the Himalayas in Asia account for high UV rates. Desert dust
over the Sahara and smoke from fires in Indonesia and Mexico absorb UV radiation,
meaning lower UV rates in those areas. 1
- complete Earth
2 - United States
3 - the Americas
4 - Europe
/ Africa
5 - Asia / Australia SUPER:
NASA
TRT: 1:31 Click
here for the animation of North/South American UV -- 1.7 MB (MPEG file) Click
here for the flat map of the world animation of UV-- 346 KB (Quicktime
movie) Click
here for the animation of UV rays worldwide on the spinning globe -- 2 MB
(MPEG file) EARTH
PROBE/TOMS SPACECRAFT
The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, housed
on the Earth Probe spacecraft, has been orbiting Earth since 1996 and will be
replaced with the QuikTOMS spacecraft this year. The sensor flies in a polar orbit,
crossing the equator every day at noon local time. TOMS combines measurements
of total ozone and cloud cover with solar radiation escaping from the top of the
atmosphere to estimate the amount of UV radiation reaching Earth's surface. Back
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